Are we there yet?

It takes five hours and 48 minutes to drive to Devon. A journey that would normally take just under three. More than a trip, it’s an education. By the time I arrive at Exmoor, I have five new apps on my phone, have battled malfunctioning charge points, know the desk staff at Tiverton leisure centre and have come to the conclusion that to buy an electric car you need a spirit of adventure.

If you’re planning on driving it a long way, that is. Electric cars make perfect sense as a second car. A 200-kilometre range is fine if you’re never doing more than 60 a day. Your home charger is your lifeline. But trying to drive a long way is like casting yourself adrift in a life raft – you’re at the mercy of currents. And volts.

I’ll get on to the cars shortly, but here’s what you need to know. The cars are all brilliant. No, seriously, they are. And there’s no such thing as range anxiety. Because battery range comfortably exceeds bladder range. Time anxiety? Absolutely, when you’re running three hours late. Infrastructure anxiety? That’s the key one for me. We can probably plan extra time into a journey, leave earlier, do some work en route while charging is occurring. But the knowledge that the infrastructure might not work as needed? That’s